Full price babies at the Olympics

I'm shocked by the conversation I just had with the London 2012 ticketing poeple. My dh and I were lucky enough to get tickets to the horse jumping on 8 August. Our baby is due 2 June, so was enquiring about what I need to do about tickets for the new baby.

They said eveyone needs a ticket - fine. Children's tickets are £1 - fine. But there are no children's tickets for the horse jumping so I have to pay £95 to have a 3 month old in a sling!!!I said I was planning to bf and couldn't go without the baby.They said the only alternative was to re-sell my ticket or give it to someone else.

I can't justify £95 and I know lots of people who would love the ticket so I guess I just have to transfer it. But I am fuming.

That's ridiculous to charge 95 quid for an infant in a sling that isn't even going to occupy a seat. If they charged you a nominal amount to take the baby that might be fair enough. The whole thing is ridiculous, there are people who bought tickets before their babies were even conceived - how are they supposed to know to buy a ticket for a child that doesn't exist yet?

There should be more complaining about this policy. It's nuts. It won't affect me as we haven't got any tickets and I intend to watch the olympics with my newborn baby from the comfort of my sofa. But I'd be gutted if I'd got tickets and then couldn't go. Perhaps there is some sexual discrimination angle to it, but I doubt you'd get far with it tbh.

BTW, my baby is due on 19th June, but we decided to give it a miss just because I cannot imagine what the traffic/public transport will be like with such a small baby (plus dh is disabled, plus we are happy watching sports from the couch).

It's bloody stupid. The baby isn't taking up a seat, and if they're worried about fire regs or whatever then it's not as if the baby isn't going to be with you at all times - essentially you should be counted as one person IMO. The baby's not using the facilities on its own!

I have no idea how they can justify £1 for a child ticket with seat, but then charge £95 for a baby not taking up a seat.

Sounds very money-grabbing to me and I would definitely keep complaining.

I think there is a discrimination angle - essentially women should not have had the audacity to bid for tickets in case they conceived in the meantime. If the woman is breastfeeding she can't attend without the baby. An older child using a seat would be a different matter, but that child would already have existed when the tickets went on sale. Under ones should be allowed in free on parents lap.

Well they might turn you away and then you have missed your chance to get your money back on your ticket and have spent lots of money making a wasted journey with a small child. I wouldn't want to do that.

This is odd- have taken dd when baby to sports events (cricket and rugby) . Never had to buy a ticket on basis that she would be in sling/on my lap.

I think points made above about potential long wait to get in/out and long event relevant with baby. Rugby was manageable but cricket games too long for dd. I imagine eventing/show jumping sessions likely to be longer than rugby game .

We got some v popular tickets for athletics and are hoping family at other end of country will be willing able to look after ds who can't come & sit on knee etc- we didn't know about him when we did ballot but can't buy ticket eitherEven if we had it would be a waste as he'd be on our knee, which would seem even more criminal that the seat gets wasted!!It's bloody ridic!!

I definitely wouldn't "just turn up". The FAQs on the ticket-selling site are quite clear that babes in arms need tickets and the travelling will be hellish enough without arriving at the gate and being turned away!

But this policy isn't just confined to the olympics. My local football team made a final at the Millenium Stadium in Cardiff a few years ago and there was coverage of people having to buy regularly priced tickets for small babies - although there was probably a children's rate.

YABU for calling it 'horse jumping' transfer your tickets so somebody who at least knows what the sport they are going to see is called can get a chance to go

YANBU in regards to being asked to pay £95 for an under 1 but I already believe that the tickets prices go against the Olympic spirit, they are not accessible to most of the population due to the cost. I will be watching the show jumping, eventing, dressage and para dressage at home with my dd wishing we could have been there but glad at least we know we will get a good view of the action.

When you get quotes from car insurance companies (bear with me here) some will quote a shockingly high amount because they just don't want you as a customer. I think that if there are no child prices for the event you are going to then they are probably saying they don't really want babies attending.